JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

ELMA / WEST SENECA

ELMAEdward R. Sauer Emergency Manager(716) 652-7635oem@elmanewyork.com

MEETINGS - 7:00 PM2nd Wednesday of the Month• August 13th*

• September 10th

• October 8th

Training and meetings are held at the Elma Senior Center unless noted. Elma Senior Center * Town Hall 3007 Bowen Rd. 1600 Bowen Rd. Elma, NY 14059 Elma, NY 14059

Check here for updates Web: www.elmanewyork.com/oem/ECert.htm Facebook: Elma Community Emergency Response Team, Inc.

WEST SENECAJohn GulloEmergency Manager(716) 558-3238jgullo@twsny.org

MEETINGS - 7:00 PM3rd Monday of the month• August 5th - National Night Out• September 15th - National Pre-

paredness Month Open House• October 20th Search & Rescue

Please watch the website and Facebook for training and meeting locations.

Check here for updates Web: www.wscert.netFacebook: West Seneca Cert

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 2006 JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

On Tuesday, June 17th, at 5:30 PM, the West Seneca Chamber of Commerce and the Town of West Seneca Office of Disas-ter Preparedness held a Ribbon Cutting and Open House for the opening of the West Seneca Emergency Operations Cen-ter (“EOC”) and the home of West Seneca Community Emergency Response Team (“CERT”). The new EOC is located in the West Seneca School’s Ebenezer Building at 900 Mill Road.Among those in attendance were Lynn Mari-nelli as WNY Director of Intergovernmental Relations at Empire State Development and Governor Cuomo’s Office, Mitch Martin of Senator Gallivan’s office, Erie County Ex-ecutive Mark Poloncarz, County Legislator Joe Lorigo, County Emergency Fire Chief, Town Supervisor Sheila Meegan, Council-men Gene Hart, Bill Hanley and members of the West Seneca School Board.The new EOC is managed by John Gullo, West Seneca’s Disaster Coordinator. The EOC was made possible by efforts of the Town of West Seneca and West Seneca Central Board of Education.During emergency situations the new EOC

will serve as the primary location for criti-cal decision making and planning, a hub for communications and dispatch, and a stor-age location for emergency equipment and supplies. The EOC will also be used as regular meeting place for emergency per-sonnel and a training facility for emergency response and preparedness.

WEST SENECA HOSTS RIBBON CUTTING AND OPEN HOUSE FOR NEW EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

Pictured is Town of West Seneca Disaster Coordinator John Gullo speaking to attendess of the Ribbon Cutting and Open House

JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

If you’re planning to stay cool and get some exercise in your backyard pool or at the beach this summer, make sure you fol-low these tips to help protect yourself and your family:Your greatest water safety assurance comes from adopting and practicing as many safety steps as possible. Adding an extra safety step around the water can make all the difference. You can never know which safety step will save a life — until it does.If you can’t swim, learn now. Have your children learn, too. The American Acad-emy of Pediatrics recommends swimming lessons for most children four years and older, and for children between one and four who are ready to learn to swim. When children are in and around the water, give them your undivided attention. Stay in arm’s reach of small children. When there are several adults present while children are in the water, designate each one to be the supervisor for 15-minute intervals. Have children and any other inexperi-enced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Water wings, noo-dles and inner tubes are meant to be toys. They are not meant to take the place of approved floatation devices.Teach young children basic safety tips. Instruct them to never go in or near the water without an adult present. Tell them not to play or swim near drains and suc-tion outlets. Check pool drain covers regularly. Make sure they are securely in place and have no cracks. Replace flat drain covers with dome-shaped ones. Learn CPR and keep your skills updated. The American Red Cross and American Heart Association both offer instruction courses. Surround your pool with a fence at least four-feet high. Install lockable safety cov-ers on your pool or spa. Remove ladders or steps when the pool isn’t being used. To keep your pool clean and clear, main-tain proper chemical levels, circulation and filtration. Test the chemical levels on a reg-ular basis to minimize the risk of earaches, rashes and other medical issues. Look for rip currents in open water.

Signs include choppy and foamy water, and water filled with debris moving in a path away from shore. If you happen to get caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore. When you get free of the current, swim towards shore. Avoid alcohol before or during swimming or boating. Accident risks increase with alcohol use. Never drink alcohol while su-pervising children.To improve pool and spa safety, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) launched Pool Safely: Simple Steps to Save Lives, a national public education campaign to reduce childhood drownings, non-fatal submersion injuries and entrapments.The campaign is a call-to-action for con-sumers and industry to adopt additional, proven water safety steps and join a na-tional conversation about pool and spa safety by sharing best practices and other life-saving information.The Pool Safely campaign carries out the provisions of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act), federal legislation mandating new requirements for public pools and spas. The P&SSA Act directs CPSC to establish and carry out a public education campaign.To pool safely means adopting critical wa-ter safety steps to assure that a great af-ternoon at the pool doesn’t turn into a trag-ic one. Whether at a residential or public pool or spa, everyone can always take ad-ditional steps to be safe while having fun- See more at: http://www.poolsafely.gov

POOL SAFETY

JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO?Heat-related illnesses, such as heat ex-haustion and heat stroke, can be problems for people enjoying outdoor activities in the hot summer months. Those most suscep-tible to heat related illnesses are children, the elderly, and people working or exercis-ing in a hot environment. A heat-related illness occurs when the body is not able to regulate and control its temperature. As the air temperature rises, your body stays cool by letting heat escape through the skin and by evaporating sweat (perspira-tion). On hot, humid days, the evaporation of sweat is slowed by the increased mois-ture in the air. When the body isn’t cooled properly, your body temperature rises, and you may become ill. If left untreated, a heat-related illness can lead to serious complications, even death. However, most heat-related illnesses can be prevented. WHAT ARE HEAT CRAMPS?Heat cramps are the least severe and of-ten are the first signals that the body is having trouble with the heat. Heat cramps are painful muscle spasms that result from overheating. They usually occur in the legs and abdomen. HOW DO I GIVE CARE FOR HEAT CRAMPS? To care for heat cramps, have the person rest in a cool place. Give them cool wa-ter or a commercial sports drink. Usually, rest and fluids are all the person will need to recover. Lightly stretch the muscle and gently massage the area. Do not give the person salt tablets or salt water. They can make the situation worse. WHAT IS HEAT EXHAUSTION?Heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness that can develop after exposure to high temperatures and inadequate or unbal-anced replacement of fluids. It typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a warm, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating and the sweat does not evaporate as it should. Know the symptoms...

• Cool, moist, pale, ashen or flushed skin

• Headache • Dizziness • Nausea • Weakness or exhaustion • Heavy sweating

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I HAVE HEAT EX-HAUSTION?If you think you have heat ex-haustion, get out of the heat quickly. Rest in a cool, shady place and drink small amounts of cool water or other replen-ishing fluids. Loosen or re-move clothing and apply wet cloths. Have someone call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number if your condition does not improve, you are unable to drink water or you start vom-iting. If heat exhaustion is not treated it can progress to a worse condition; heat stroke. WHAT IS HEAT STROKE?Heat stroke is the least common, but most severe heat-related illness. It results from the total failure of the body’s heat regula-tion system. This occurs when the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating system fails and the body cannot cool down. Heat stroke is a medical emergen-cy. It can cause permanent disability or even death. Know the symptoms...

• Red skin that can either be dry or moist

• Changes in consciousness• Rapid, weak pulse• Rapid, shallow breathing

What should I do if I think someone has heat stroke?Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition. If you think someone might have heat-stroke, have someone call 9-1-1 or the lo-cal emergency number right away. Move the person to a cool, shady place. Loosen or remove any unnecessary clothing and help cool him or her down. Apply wet cloths and fan the person. If the person is conscious, give them small amounts of cool water to drink (about 4 ounces ev-ery 15 minutes). Refusing water, vomiting and changes in consciousness mean that the person’s condition is getting worse. Remember, Call 9-1-1 or the local emer-gency number immediately, if you haven’t already done so. HOW CAN I PREVENT HEAT ILLNESS?When the heat index is high (a measure-ment of how hot it feels when relative hu-

midity is combined with the effects of the air temperature), stay indoors in air-con-ditioned areas whenever possible. If you must go outside, take the following pre-cautions:

• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothes.

• Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat or using an umbrella.

• Frequently apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more

• Drink plenty of water before starting an outdoor activity. Drink extra water all day. Avoid beverages that contain caffeine (such as tea, coffee and cola) or alcohol.

• Schedule vigorous outdoor activities for cooler times of the day--before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.

• During an outdoor activity, take frequent breaks. Drink water or other fluids every 15 to 20 minutes, even if you don’t feel thirsty.

• If you have a chronic medical prob-lem, ask your doctor about how to deal with the heat, about drinking extra fluids and about your medicines.

What should I do after having heat ex-haustion or heatstroke?Do not resume activities the same day. Be especially careful not to exercise too hard, and avoid going outside in hot weather if possible. Ask your doctor to tell you when it is safe to return to your normal activities.

HEAT RELATED ILLNESS

JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2014

Sign up for Code Red to be notified by your local emergency response team in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts. Sign-up for Code Red by visiting the links.

ELMA Sign up for Elma Code Red by visiting the town website at: www.elmanewy-ork.com

WEST SENECA Code Red sign up will start in August. Check westseneca.net, wscert.net and facebook page

UPCOMING TRAINING & EVENTS CALENDAR

July16 SMART’s Role in Mass Fatality19 SMART’s Role in Mass Fatality

August5 National Night Out - Elma5 National Night Out - West Seneca18 CPR Class - Locatin TBD

September13 SMART Geriatrics Best Practices15 SMART New Member Orientation

October15 SMART Pet Preparedness & First Aid18 SMART Pet Preparedness & First Aid

Check the West Seneca CERT and Elma CERT, Inc. websites for updates and up-coming events.Anone interested in training provided by SMART must pre-register at: www2.erie.gov/smart. Some trainings may have pre-requisites.For more information on HAM Radio classes visit South Towns Amateur Radio Society online at: http://stars.thefruths.comTo attend Sky Warn Training visit: www.erh.noaa.gov/buf/skywarnt.htm

ELMA CERT MEMBERS ATTEND TRAININGElma CERT, Inc. members, Debbie Wannemacher and Edward Sauer, at-tended the CERT Train the Trainer and Program Manager courses at FEMA EMI this past May. More CERT members will be attending the training in the near future.

AHA TRAINING SITEThe Town of Elma has become an American Heart Asso-ciation training site. Members of Elma CERT, Inc. will be able to instruct Heartsaver CPR AED, Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED, Heartsaver Bloodborne Pathogens, and BLS for Healthcare Providers courses. We anticipate being able to start running classes for the community soon. This was made possible with the combined coop-eration between the Elma Town Board, Elma CERT, Inc., and members of the community that want to be prepared.

WEST SENECA CERT ADOPTS A HIGHWAYMembers participated cleaned up the town as part of the Adopt-A-Highway Lit-ter Pick up in June and July.

SUMMER FESTIVALSBoth Elma and West Seneca CERT groups participated in various summer events from parades, community days and even a Car Show.